"Broken (sticks) windows" syndrome

After a second break-in to the clubhouse/gym, there's been much discussion here about the "broken windows" syndrome in which things, such as a clubhouse door that doesn't shut properly or slowness to fix a falling down outside glass display case, send a message that we don't care about this place. Then the thieves come in. Look at this picture sent in by a resident. About six or nine months ago it's said that some kids broke these pool sticks. Also notice the cigarette burn. The broken sticks have been sitting in a clubhouse cupboard forever. Nothing was done by management to replace them, or even remove them. The pool table also is being wrecked. Miss Penny Lane asks: Who will save our dear clubhouse and gym, why the delay in any action, and why has management still said nothing to us?

Breaking news - Another theft at the clubhouse/gym

Dear neighbors, a quick and sad post before work. There's been another robbery of our beautiful clubhouse/fitness center. Months ago someone took the big flat screen TV. Now Miss Penny Lane understands that tables and chairs have been stolen. It's a sad but perhaps not unexpected day.

Palermo's new neighbor: College of the Desert

Hello neighbors, a quick post before work. Did you see the article in the newspaper about the green campus that College of the Desert will build by us? The development will be the catalyst for the rebirth of this area. Projected opening is 2014. Think of the potential! Palermo is the place to be.

Highlights of the article, titled, "COD sees chance to make green going green. Energy self-sufficiency, retail opportunities
could ease sting of school cuts"

- COD recently unveiled plans for its west valley campus in Palm Springs, envisioned as a cutting-edge enclave of energy self-sufficient buildings, a green business incubator offering training and jobs for students and a small solar farm generating extra income as well as electricity.

- Valley leaders are clearly focused on the Palm Springs campus and the role it could play in drawing green tech firms to the region.

- The Palm Springs mayor sees the campus as a boon for retail in his city, with students coming from Desert Hot Springs and Cathedral City, as well as Beaumont and Banning further down Interstate 10.

- COD first committed to developing the satellite campuses as part of a $346.5 million bond measure voters passed in 2004. The COD chose Palm Springs over Desert Hot Springs as the site in 2007, after a fierce competition between the two cities.

- Features of the 119-acre campus include:

- Officials want to make the campus a zero-waste, net-zero energy use and carbon-neutral facility.

- The campus programs would focus on hospitality and tourism, media and the arts, health and green tech, and may include four-year degrees.

- “We are at advanced stages of negotiations with a private university that would see them on the campus providing the upper-division courses of a program which we don't provide."

And modern art amid the rubble, too

Miss Penny missed it, but an alert Positively Palermo devotee points out that not just nature's beauty finds a way flourish in the former construction zone of Phase 2 Palermo. (Thanks for the photographs to the left.) Beyond the wild flowers that Miss Penny loves so much, it's also a site for budding artists of the modern variety. Who knew that Palermo had such talent within its walls? The wind apparently has blown down the latest art. But Miss Penny Lane asks: Should we all go out together and create some modern art from the rubble left behind?

Nature's beauty amid the rubble

The seemingly abandoned Phase Two of our Palermo complex in places seems to resemble a junkyard with discarded furniture, left-behind pieces of construction materials, tires, trash, etc. etc. But life finds a way, and amid the rubble, there is nature's beauty. Here are some Palermo wild flowers - just look past the beers bottles that litter parts of the site and have gone unpicked up for ages. The sweet flowers make Miss Penny Lane smile as she drives down the access road.

Before and After

Before and After. When will the ripped out trees be replaced? These palm trees belong to the Palermo HOA. They apparently were put in too close to driveways by the developer, so isn't that who should pay for the removal because of their possible mistaken planning in the first place? But don't the trees themselves belong to the HOA and ought to be replanted elsewhere in the complex?

Put all the trees in a tree museum

Penny Lane's email is heating up over the removal of a bunch of palm trees from our wonderful Palermo. These mature trees are worth a lot of money. Where did they go? They've been trucked off rather than replanted here.

Falling down, falling down

Hello Palermo friends:

Perhaps you saw this earlier comment post from your neighbor Mr. Jones on this blog site. Mr. Jones wrote to you: "The sign at the club house door is falling down. It is hanging by one nail and will fall and the glass (will) shattered all over. Who's going to do something about it??"

Well we now have an answer: NOTHING. Despite notification, management has done nothing to fix it. It's a crash waiting to happen right here in our little Palermo community. Here's a furnished picture.

Miss Penny Lane asks: If this glass case breaks, and if the management knows about it, should the replacement cost come out of the HOA dues, or should the management and absentee board foot the bill?

Safety First!

Fire extinguishers were mounted in numerous locations in our lovely Palermo complex. No one from the management company, nor the HOA board, bothered to talk to residents about the placement. Even Miss Penny Lane thinks safety comes before shielding eyesores from view, but still why not consult the residents before placing them? It's little to ask. There is some leeway in where they need to be put. No communication, again.

What is the management company doing?

We're hearing complaints about Desert Resort Management, like how long it takes to get things fixed. Residents say they feel like they are being ignored. One resident said it took weeks and weeks just to get the dog poop bag stations refilled, and then trash cans at the doggie bag stations weren't emptied. That said, managing this place is a big job. What do you think? Email us or post it here after you have asked to get something fixed. We can keep track of it and try to hold these folks accountable for any slow action.

Those newly painted red fire hydrants

A man came through the other day and painted all our yellow fire hydrants red. Word is that the HOA paid up to $700 for the repainting even though it was the developer that painted them yellow in the first place. Hydrants in the undeveloped Phase Two also got a new color of paint. Others say the fire department is to blame for the confusion.

Encouraging movement on sales!

Palermo residents may have noticed that several "for sale" signs are down. There are reports of numerous condos being sold. Signs have come down on the Quiet Side, Breeze Loop and Melody Lane. Some people who have stayed for the season have been looking to buy as well.

Colt Security phone numbers

New information on calling Colt Security has been left in the clubhouse. Here it is: After 5 p.m. weekdays and on weekends, call Colt dispatch at 760-564-8415 or 760-564-1167. Call 760-346-8033 during the day on weekdays.

Threatening Palermo's cats!!!!

Someone has taped a sign on the Sunburst mailboxes that threatens to trap cats owned by Palermo residents. This person says he/she will then bring these animals to the shelter.
This would be cat-napping and theft. Anyone who knows the identity of this person should contact Colt Security or Brandi at DRM. And how about telling the police about this cruelty?
If you see a trap in a neighbor's yard, speak out.